Search and rescue teams on Saturday took full advantage of a break in the torrential rain that has been hammering Boulder County as more than 1,200 people have been evacuated so far in the wake of a 100-year flood in what officials said may be the largest aerial rescue since Hurricane Katrina.

With weather conditions improving , rescue teams were able to send helicopters into the mountain towns of western Boulder County as well as high-clearance vehicles into the town of Lyons to evacuate stranded residents.

About 500 people were driven out of Lyons, but many of the other rescues have been by helicopter as the National Guard staged an air rescue campaign from Boulder Municipal Airport.

Lt. Col. Mitch Utterback with the National Guard said to his knowledge it is the largest aerial rescue since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

"There is no greater patriotic feeling than a helicopter taxiing down the runway and civilians coming out," Utterback said.

But amid the joy over the successful evacuations, officials as of 9 p.m. said 234 people remain unaccounted for -- meaning their family or friends have not been able to make contact with them -- and three people in the county have been killed.

Officials cautioned that those 234 are not all missing, and that the number is speculative, since some people have been counted twice while entire families have only been tallied as one person.

But while Pelle said he expects that number to drop as people are able to get back in touch with loved ones and more information starts coming in from evacuation centers, officials are expecting the current death toll of three in the county may rise. Pelle said crews have not yet been able to search collapsed buildings or mudslides, places where they would expect to find bodies.

"I don't want to be pessimistic, but I want to be realistic," Pelle said.

Coroner Emma Hall on Saturday evening released the identities of two of the three people killed by the flooding in Boulder County. Those victims were Wiyanna Nelson and Wesley Quinlan, both 19.

The bodies of the two teens, who family members told the Denver Post were boyfriend and girlfriend, were recovered on Thursday on Linden Avenue, just west of Boulder. The couple and two friends were at a birthday party in the foothills west of town Wednesday night when the flooding began, and attempted to drive back down Linden when their car became stuck, according to family members. They got out of the vehicle and were caught in the rushing water.

A cause and manner of death for the two has not been released.

Bonnie Dannelly hugs her daughter Makayla Dannelly after she got off the bus at Fireside Elementary in Louisville, Saturday afternoon. Makayla Dannelly was one of over 80 Fireside 5th graders who were trapped above Jamestown at Camp Cal-Wood. BOULDER DAILY CAMERA/ Mark Leffingwell (MARK LEFFINGWELL)

Hall has not yet identified the third victim claimed by the storm in Boulder County, but residents of Jamestown have said they believe it was former Jamestown Mercantile owner Joseph Howlett, 72. The Denver Post has reported that Howlett is believed to have been killed when his house collapsed in a mudslide on Wednesday night.

Aerial evacuations of Jamestown began Friday morning once the weather cleared up enough for helicopters to take off. Pelle said about 160 people have been airlifted out of the town, though 50 have elected to stay behind. Pelle said deputies are going to make one last plea to those residents to evacuate.

"We're trying to tell them we may not be able to come back," Pelle said.

Just after noon Saturday, the Fireside Elementary students who were at the Cal-Wood Education Center outside of Jamestown were safely airlifted out to Boulder Municipal Airport and transported to their school in Louisville, to be reunited with their families.

Pelle said the coming days probably won't yield the huge evacuation numbers as helicopters begin searching for lone residents trapped in various parts of the county, as opposed to evacuating entire communities. But he said they will continue to make as many trips as the weather allows.

"If I was that one person, that helicopter would be just as important to me," Pelle said.

'Our normal has changed'

A woman, who asked not to be identified, carries two children while being evacuated by the Juniper Valley Fire Crew on Saturday, Sept. 14, on Olde Stage Road in Boulder. For more photos and video of the flood rescue go to www.dailycamera.com
Jeremy Papasso/ Camera (JEREMY PAPASSO)

As the rains calmed, officials have begun to get a better grasp of the type of damage the floodwaters have caused around the county.

Officials said 100 to 150 miles of road have been destroyed along with 20 to 30 bridges. The estimated cost for the county to repair that infrastructure is currently estimated to be around $150 million.

"It's a huge deal," Pelle said. I know people want to go back to normal. But our normal has changed."

In Boulder, officials lifted the evacuation orders issued for the western part of the city at the mouth of the Boulder Canyon just after 2 p.m., but it warned residents to be aware more rain could spark additional evacuation orders.

University of Colorado police spokesman Ryan Huff said police had to stop a student who tried to go tubing in Boulder Creek.

"This is not the time to be playing around," Huff said. "This continues to be a dangerous situation."

Boulder Mayor Matt Appelbaum also said an emergency declaration making it illegal to be on city Open Space and Mountain Parks lands and trails remains in effect. Boulder City Manager Jane Brautigam also closed several city parks. Rangers are on duty, but the city is hoping for voluntary compliance so they can focus on assessing damage, not writing tickets.

"People love their open space, I get it, but it's dangerous," Appelbaum said. "Places I've known and loved for 30 years are gone."

The University of Colorado said 70 of its building saw some sort of water damage, and officials were meeting over the weekend to determine if the campus can be opened on Monday.

The Boulder Valley School District stated on its Facebook page that all schools will be open Monday, except Crest View Elementary, Nederland Middle/Senior High, and Nederland, Gold Hill, and Jamestown elementary schools. A district wide communication will be sent late today to confirm a Monday opening for the remainder of its schools, once the district evaluates the impact of possible additional rain this weekend.

Looting and scams

CU police early Saturday arrested a man on suspicion of trespassing after he was found wandering the halls of the Ramaley Biology building with a backpack containing a laptop, cell phones and other items. Huff identified the man as 44-year-old Matthew Singer, a transient previously arrested on campus for burglary.

Huff also said that a facilities management employee on Friday morning spotted a man matching the description of a suspect in a string a campus laptop thefts at the Gold Biosciences building, but the suspect could not be located when police arrived.

Boulder police Chief Mark Beckner said police have not seen any looting incidents in the city.

The Boulder County District Attorney's Office also said people have been going door-to-door in some areas posing as Xcel Energy employees. The DA's Office advised residents to be sure to check identification and run background check on any hired contractors for work on flood damage.

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